Corporal Anthony Moschetto
Huntingtown, MD – An addict with a startling story and an officer with an amazing knack for detecting substance abusers were the featured speakers Saturday morning, Feb. 7 during a presentation held at Huntingtown High School (HHS).
The two-hour program was a presentation of the Calvert County Council of PTAs, Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse (CAASA) and Calvert Resources.
Local resident Lauren Fowler is in the early stages of her journey to recover from her harrowing experiences as a substance abuser. She spoke about her great childhood and how her world revolved around the sport of volleyball. “That was my life,” she recalled.
In addition to being a standout scholastic athlete, Fowler was also an Advanced Placement student.
But when Fowler wasn’t playing volleyball or in class there were signs she was headed for trouble—red flags like a shift in friends, an abusive relationship plus her willingness to try anything. The substance experimentation started with alcohol, moved to marijuana which opened the gates to cocaine, which she said she tried at a party. Fowler told the audience she was still playing volleyball while doing drugs—“experimenting with pills while doing cocaine.” At 19 she tried heroin.
When she learned she was pregnant in late 2009, Fowler stopped using drugs, she told the audience. However, after the birth of her son during the summer of 2010, Fowler got together with “old friends” and started taking Percocet. “It took me to hell,” she recalled.
Fowler chronicled a life that indeed had reached its nadir at a young age—drug peddler, heroin user and thief. A 2012 attempt at rehabilitation subsequently led to a relapse, followed by a suicide attempt and arrest.
“I’m not supposed to be here,” said Fowler. “I had a $300 a day heroin addiction. Death was the only option for me.”
Fowler said that killing herself “wasn’t fair” to her family or herself. She subsequently went into a three-month rehab program that “told me how to live. I learned how to function again.” As impactful as it was, Fowler affirmed that rehab “is not a fix.” She described drug addiction as “a mental disorder. It’s a disease.”
Drug-related charges led to a 10-year sentence for Fowler who stated the sentence was suspended and she was given five years’ probation. Her family has also put her on a short leash, establishing “boundaries” which Fowler said she needs.
Lauren Fowler’s father, Bernie Fowler Jr., called his daughter’s odyssey “a long, long trip” and admitted “there were signs” that weren’t read correctly in Lauren’s case. He encouraged parents to “play close attention” to their children and the subtle signs of trouble such as a break in communication. He exhorted them not to become “enablers. You become part of the problem. You can’t fix your child. They have to do it themselves.”
“We’re losing kids,” declared Cpl. Anthony Moschetto of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, who gave the audience a lengthy overview of seven categories of drugs, their effects and telltale signs of users.
The categories are central nervous system (CNS) depressants, CNS stimulants, hallucinogens, dissociative anesthetics, narcotic analgesics, inhalants and cannibas.
“I can give you the tools,” said Moschetto. “If you see the problem, take action.”
The veteran officer defended the local sheriff’s office’s practice of high saturation road patrols in Calvert. Moschetto noted that the county has seen a spike in road crashes. He also explained that many notorious criminals have been captured as a result of traffic stops. In answer to the question asked of deputies on road patrols “don’t you have something better to do?” Moschetto’s answer is a very firm “no!”
Moschetto advised the audience that PCP use “is on the rise” in Southern Maryland counties, heroin has become more accessible in the state since “Baltimore is the heroin capital of the U.S.” and due to information available on the Internet regarding inhalants “kids are coming up with new ways to get high.”
While Moschetto admitted his presentation wouldn’t make individuals drug experts, it hopefully gave everyone “a firm grasp of what law enforcement deals with.”
Anyone wishing more information on the symptoms of substance abuse is urged to contact the CAASA office at 410-535-3733.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com